Baked Quinoa Patties

Tonight's recipe is a recent result of a friends' cooking night! Paige and I decided to try yet another new recipe: Quinoa patties! The original recipe called for eggs as a binder, but since I'm not an egg fan I decided to try a replacement... tomato paste! Wait... tomato paste? I was skeptical too, but the internet said it would work! As a dedicated food blogger, I decided it would only be right for me to test drive this miracle ingredient before you do! It worked, in case you were wondering. In addition to holding everything together, the tomato paste added great flavor and color to the quinoa.

Don't just take my word for it, though! Try out these quinoa patties to dip, top salads, or as a quick and easy snack. They're great hot or cold.

Baked Quinoa Patties

By Caroline Mac

Makes 24 small patties

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c uncooked quinoa

5T tomato paste

1/2 t salt

1 sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped 

1/6 c chopped fresh dill

1/2 c frozen chopped kale

1/2 white onion, finely chopped

1.5 cloves minced garlic

1/2 t cumin

1/6 c crumbled feta cheese

1t olive oil

Step 1: Cook quinoa according to the directions on the package. Set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2: Lightly grease a baking sheet. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until evenly mixed.  

Step 3: Form quinoa mixture into small patties about 2 inches in diameter. Place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until bottoms are browned. Flip patties and bake for another five minutes. 

Enjoy!

~Caroline~

White Bean Dip with Lemon and Rosemary

Here's another healthy and delicious dip that I whipped up for a party this past weekend. There is only one step when making it: Put everything in a food processor and hit purée!


White Bean Dip with Lemon and Rosemary
By Caroline Mac

Ingredients:
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 T olive oil
1 lemon, juice and zest
1/2- 3/4 t Penzey's Trinidad Lemon-Garlic Marinade (you can also use garlic powder)
Lemon pepper to taste
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until creamy. Serve with your favorite chips, crackers, or veggies.

Enjoy!

~Caroline~

Fennel and Clementine Salad With Lemon Garlic Dressing

Since it's getting warmer outside, I've been craving more and more raw, fresh food instead of hearty warm dishes. The result? Salads galore. I usually have pretty much the same salad during the week- a combo of dark greens, mixed veggies and cottage cheese for protein. Even though I love this salad, I decided it was time to switch it up and make something a little more gourmet. I decided that fennel was the way to go. 

I love the taste of fennel. It's similar to black licorice, with a sweet flavor that is great raw or cooked. I thought that it would go especially well with tangy and sweet clementines topped with an acidic splash of lemon combined with savory garlic. 

Fennel and Clementine Salad with Lemon Garlic Dressing

By Caroline Mac

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

1/2 bulb of fennel, outer layer peeled and thinly sliced, some greens reserved for garnish

Approx. 1 cup salad greens of choice (I used Trader Joe's Power Greens)

1 clementine, peeled and broken into sections

1 t olive oil

1/2 t lemon juice

1/2 t apple cider vinegar

1/4 t minced garlic

1/8 t ground black pepper

1/8 t Penzey's Trinidad Lemon Garlic seasoning (You can use a combination of lemon pepper and garlic powder as well)

Step 1: Spread greens across the bottom of your dish to create a bed of lettuce.

Step 2: Place clementine sections around the edge of the greens. Create a tower of fennel in the center.

Step 3: Whisk oil, lemon, vinegar, garlic, and seasoning together until thoroughly blended. Drizzle over  the fennel. Garnish with fennel greens.

Enjoy! 

~Caroline~

Peanut Tofu and Avocado Spring Rolls

It's finally feeling like spring! I found it only appropriate to start the season off with spring rolls! Basically, I created two recipes- a broiled peanut tofu, and the spring rolls that it was encased in. These are great for parties, lunch boxes, or just as a quick and healthy snack.

Peanut Tofu and Avocado Spring Rolls
By Caroline Mac

Note: Allow plenty of time to prepare this, as the tofu takes a couple of hours to marinate.

Ingredients:
Peanut Tofu:
11 strips of extra-firm tofu, pressed (Strips should be about 1/2 inch thick)
1/4 c crunchy peanut butter
1 T soy sauce
1 T rice vinegar
2 t sesame oil
1t lime juice
1/8 t Penzey's Singapore seasoning
Just under 1/4 t stevia
4 drops sriracha hot sauce
1 t water

Wraps:
3/4 avocado, sliced into 11 slices
1 bag Trader Joe's Broccoli slaw (you won't use the whole bag)
11 small shitaki mushrooms, washed and dried
11 spring roll rice wrappers (you can get these in the Asian section of most supermarkets)


Step 1: Mix all ingredients for the peanut tofu together, except for the tofu, until thoroughly blended. Coat each slice of tofu in the sauce, place in an oven-safe dish and allow tofu to marinate for a couple hours.

Step 2: Broil tofu in the oven for approximately 6-8 minutes on each side, or until each side is golden and crispy. Allow to completely cool before making rolls.

Step 3: Prepare first rice wrapper as according to the package. Typically, you soak the wrapper in warm water for a few seconds until it becomes flexible, place it on a towel to dry, and wrap it around your filling.

Step 4: Place one piece of tofu, one mushroom, one slice of avocado, and a small bunch of slaw in the center of the wrapper.

Step 5: Fold over one side of the wrapper, making sure to keep the ingredients compact. Fold in the top and bottom of the wrapper and continue rolling it until the ingredients are securely inside.

Step 6: Repeat this process for the remaining 10 wrappers. Serve with a sauce of your choice. I've had them with both sweet and sour sauce and a peanut sauce. Both tasted great!

Enjoy!

Caprese Eggplant

This recipe is looong overdue. Even though I have cooked lots and lots of recipes, I haven't prepared many for more than a couple people at a time. This Caprese Eggplant was one of the first dishes I made for an entire party of people! Might I add that my creation was very successful? 

My inspiration for this tasty finger food was a traditional Italian caprese panini. I've yet to meet someone who doesn't like the classic grilled mozzarella, tomato, and basil sandwich. My adaptation was to remove the bread and instead place the fillings on thin slices of grilled eggplant. The result was a healthy, colorful, and flavorful side dish!

Caprese Eggplant

By Caroline Mac

Ingredients:

1-2 large eggplants, thinly sliced

1 roll of fresh marinated mozzarella cheese, sliced (make sure there are enough pieces for each slice of eggplant. My favorite is the Trader Joe's brand)

Enough fresh basil leaves to top each eggplant slice with 1 or 2 leaves

1 package fresh mini heirloom tomatoes, sliced

Olive oil

Italian seasoning to taste

Step 1: Brush both sides of an eggplant slice with olive oil. Place on a grill or pan over medium-high heat. Grill first side until it begins to brown. 

Step 2: Flip the slice and immediately top with mozzarella and seasoning. Continue to grill until cheese begins to melt and eggplant begins to brown on second side. Remove from heat and place 1-2 basil leaves and 1-2 tomato slices on the eggplant.

Step 3: Repeat for every slice. Serve warm or cold.

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Here's another hummus recipe in case you're tired of the simple recipe!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
By Caroline Mac
Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans, 2 T of liquid reserved
1/2 c tahini
3 T Lemon juice
1/2 cup fire roasted peppers


Step 1: Blend tahini, liquid and chickpeas in a food processor. Add lemon juice and peppers and blend until creamy and smooth.

Serve with your favorite veggies, chips, crackers, or bread!

Enjoy!


                

Lazy Friday Chipotle Black Bean Salad

It's Friday, it's the end of the week, and I got back from the gym and did not want to make the rather complicated Black bean soup I had originally planned on making. However, I still wanted to make something with black beans. Yay for improvisation!

Honestly, I didn't measure anything when creating this recipe. My suggestion is to start with the beans and add the seasoning to taste. One can of beans makes enough for two nights or so.

Chipotle Black Bean Salad
By Caroline Mac
Ingredients:
1 can black beans, drained
Chipotle hot sauce
1 yellow bell pepper
Sun dried tomatoes
Salsa verde
Southwest seasoning

Step 1: Add tomatoes, seasonings, pepper, and sauces to beans and mix thoroughly. Serve warm, cold, or room temperature. I had mine as a side with a mixed green salad.

Enjoy!

Simple Hummus

I've made a rule for myself regarding buying food: If I can make it easily, I don't buy it. My first product I've decided to make myself is hummus! What could be easier to make than hummus??? So I made a basic recipe without extra seasoning, so I can build on it in the future.

Simple Hummus
By Caroline Mac
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, liquid reserved
1/2 cup Tahini
3 T lemon juice

Step 1: Combine chickpeas, tahini, and lemon in food processor and blend until smooth. Add reserved chickpea liquid until you've reached your desired consistency. I like it to be thick, but creamy and spreadable.

Add ins- Feel free to add some flavorful mix-ins, including sun dried tomatoes, garlic, olives, basil, and anything else you see fit. Don't be afraid to be creative!

Enjoy!

Balsamic Beet and Carrot Salad

Hi all! It's been FOREVER since I've posted a recipe, so I figured I'd stop being lazy and post something. I had a bunch of beets from Trader Joe's in the fridge, so I decided to use them up.


I don't think I used as many veggies as the original recipe called for, so there was a lot of excess dressing. Just know that you may have some tasty dressing left over to use on future salads.

Balsamic Beet and Carrot Salad
Adapted from Simple Spoon
Ingredients:
1 package Trader Joe's pre-cooked beets (or 3-4 cooked beets)
1-2 cups baby carrots
1/2 cup raw almonds
Crumbled Feta cheese for topping
1T agave syrup
Sea salt

Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
15 basil leaves, shredded
2 cloves minced garlic

Step 1: Heat saute pan to medium. Add almonds and cook until fragrant, stirring regularly but not constantly. Once they've darkened slightly and are fragrant, turn off heat and add agave. Stir until almonds are evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt. Transfer to a clean plate. Syrup will solidify, creating candied almonds!

Step 2: Steam baby carrots until al dente.

Step 2: Add all dressing ingredients together and mix until homogenous. Drizzle beets and carrots with dressing and top with feta cheese and almonds.

Enjoy!

Garlic Green Beans with Lemon

I have a feeling this recipe is going to become one of my all time favorites. Tonight was my second time making these delicious green beans and I'm positive it won't be my last. This recipe requires quite a bit of prep, but it may seem like that simply because I tripled it today for a potluck. Thus, I had to zest and juice three lemons, peel and slice nine cloves of garlic, and chop the ends off of more green beans than I can count. I think it was worth it, though. This dish works great as a side or as a salad. You could also make only the dressing and use it on a regular basis for roasting veggies or as a salad dressing. This dish can be served hot, cold, or any temperature in between.

Garlic Green Beans with Lemon
Adapted from Vegalicious Recipes
Ingredients:
3 cups fresh green beans
1 lemon, zest and juice (separate some zest for garnish)
2 T olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sliced almonds, or to taste

Step 1: Cut the tips off of the green beans and steam until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Step 2: Heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan. Once heated, add the garlic and saute until golden.

Step 3: Add the lemon juice to the pan, followed by the zest, salt, and pepper. Stir until thouroughly mixed and heated.

Step 4: Transfer the green beans to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over them and mix until evenly coated. Add the almonds and mix well. Garnish with extra lemon zest.

Enjoy!

Simple Salads

Salads are my main go-to food when I don't want to make anything complicated but want something healthy and flavorful. A major complaint I hear about salads is that they are boring. My response to this is that you simply haven't found the right ingredients! The possibilities for salad are endless. I love throwing together fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts to make interesting flavor combinations. I don't have one standard salad recipe, though I plan to write up a few as time goes on. Until then, I've made a list of some of my favorite bases, toppings, and dressings so you can start to make your own!

Favorite Salad Bases
Spinach
Romaine Lettuce
Mixed baby greens
Kale

Favorite Fresh Fruit and Veggie Toppings
Tomatoes
Celery
Carrots
Edamame
Beets
Broccoli
Radishes
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Apple
Strawberries
Blueberries
Grapes
Mushrooms
Zucchini
Corn
Onion
Mango
Avocado

Favorite Dried Fruit and Nut Toppings
Cranberries
Raisins
Figs
Almonds
Walnuts
Pecans
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Sun dried tomato

Favorite Cheeses
Blue Cheese
Feta Cheese
Goat Cheese

Favorite Dressings (My favorite brand is Annies, but other brands make these flavors as well)
Lite honey mustard
Lite raspberry vinaigrette
Goddess
Green garlic
Balsamic vinaigrette
Red wine and olive oil
Blue Cheese

I hope this helps make your salad experience more enjoyable!

Savory Celery Stalks

        Celery has never been a favorite food of mine. However, this summer I've become quite a fan of it. It's the perfect base for tons of dips, spreads, and toppings and is way healthier than crackers or bread. I've come to love the crunch and the unique flavor that really good celery has. 

        My favorite celery topping is definitely the old favorite, peanut butter with raisins (a.k.a. "Ants on a log"). Today, as I went to prepare said celery for lunch, I noticed my mom eating some rice cakes with balsamic hummus. She then suggested putting some of the hummus on celery instead of peanut butter. I tried it out and loved it! However, I decided that was far too boring a recipe for this blog. So I spiced it up a little. By topping the celery with balsamic hummus and sun dried tomatoes, I created a new snack to add to my repertoire. The combination of crunchy, creamy, and chewy textures make for a fun chewing experience, and the different flavors blend together in a very delicious way. 

Savory Celery Stalks

By Caroline Mac

Ingredients:

Celery, washed and cut into 3-4 inch pieces

Balsamic hummus (you can buy this at the store or make your own by adding balsamic vinegar to regular hummus)

Sun dried tomatoes, sliced (dry, not packed in oil)

Step 1: Spread the hummus on each celery stick so it fills the bowl-like part, but not overfilled.

Step 2: Take 2 or 3 pieces of tomato and press them into the hummus

Enjoy!

Curry Baked Tofu

One of my favorite things to make is baked tofu. I love the variety of flavor options, as well as the great source of protein. I bake mine for a relatively long time at a higher temperature to form a crust on the outside of the tofu.

I had made baked tofu before, but this was my first curry recipe that I've tried. I also baked my tofu when the recipe said to grill it. Because of this, I had no idea how this would turn out. I was pleasantly surprised and consider this tofu quite a success. There is some spice to this recipe, but I love my food to have a little kick to it.

Enjoy!

Curry Baked Tofu
Adapted from Edible Perspectives
Ingredients:
1 block extra firm tofu
1T brown rice flour
1T ginger
1T lemon juice
1T olive oil
1t garam masala
3/4t cumin
1/4t coriander
1/2t salt
1t chili powder
1/8t cayenne pepper
1/2t turmeric
1 1/2t paprika
1T curry powder
1 T minced garlic
1 C plain, nonfat greek yogurt

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Drain the tofu and place the block on a plate. Cover it with another plate and add weight to the top. Allow the tofu to press and release excess fluid while you make the coating. You can also use a tofu press.

Step 2: Combine all ingredients and whisk together until smooth and completely blended.

Step 3: Slice the tofu into 10 even strips, about 1/2 inch thick.

Step 4: Dip each slice into the curry- yogurt mixture until evenly coated and place on a greased baking sheet.

Step 5: Bake tofu for 7-10 minutes on each side, or until a crust has formed. Tofu will stick to pan when flipping, so make sure you don't separate too much of the coating from the tofu when flipping.

Serve over noodles, veggies, or on it's own as a snack or appetizer!

                             Curry Baked Tofu Served Over Thai Curry Noodles and Veggies